#120 Protecting the Wild Hearts of the Hunter with Debbie Breen and Alexis Ting from Hunter Wildlife Rescue

Debbie Breen and Alexis Ting are volunteers with Hunter Wildlife Rescue, dedicating their time, homes, finances, and emotional strength to animals in crisis. Their work reveals a reality far removed from the romantic image often associated with wildlife care.Hunter Wildlife Rescue was founded more than 36 years ago by Audrey Koosman and originally focused on the lower and upper Hunter Valley. Over time, its reach has expanded significantly, now covering Newcastle, the Upper Hunter, and areas approaching the Central Coast. This expansion reflects not growth in resources, but a sharp rise in animals needing help due to land clearing, development, and road networks. The organisation works independently but collaborates closely with groups such as WIRES and ARC, coordinating rescues and sharing resources when regions are overwhelmed.Hunter Wildlife Rescue responds to calls around the clock for a wide range of species, including birds, gliders, flying foxes, reptiles, turtles, possums, wombats, kangaroos, and koalas. Most animals are cared for in volunteers’ homes, where carers wake every few hours to feed, clean, medicate, and monitor vulnerable animals. Alexis explained that while bonds inevitably form, the goal is always release back into the wild, not keeping animals as pets.Moments of success make the hardship worthwhile. Alexis described releasing a brushtail possum after months of care and later receiving confirmation that it was surviving in the wild. Those moments help carers endure exhaustion, injury, and emotional strain. Cat and dog attacks, habitat destruction, and vehicle strikes remain the most significant threats, particularly for koalas.If you see an injured animal in the Hunter NSW region of Australia, please call the Animal Rescue Line on 0418 628 483.More Informationhttps://www.hunterwildlife.org.au/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.